Verizon will bring LTE to every part of its 3G map by mid-2013

Carrier says it will look for more spectrum to add network capacity.

Verizon customers who have been long relegated to archaic 3G speeds can now rejoice. CFO of Verizon Wireless, Fran Shammo, announced today at the Wells Fargo Securities Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference in New York City that the company will finish implementing its LTE infrastructure with a full-blown rollout by the middle of next year.

Though Verizon had some issues with its LTE launch at the start, including the great service blackout of 2011, Shammo touted Verizon's reliability, citing the fact that Verizon's $3.9 billion buyout of nationwide AWS spectrum will give it an edge for at least five years. He added that Verizon will continue to look for opportunities to increase its spectrum in order to match demand, as about 250 million people utilize Verizon's LTE network, and the company hopes to increase that to at least 260 million by the end of the year. Verizon's LTE coverage should match the current 3G CMDA spread by the end of 2013.

Despite the company's push to increase its spectrum, Shammo mentioned that it will not be consolidating with other carriers or smaller competitors because that's not something that's likely to be approved by regulators.

You can watch more of Shammo's speech via the webcast from the conference happening this week.

Great news for those of us in smaller markets as yet unblessed by LTE. Also excellent timing for me personally, as my current contract is up at that time, unless AT&T gets their act together by then, this is most defintely incentive to switch.

When people try to boost one carrier over another they really ignore that it depends on what you are looking for. Each has their strengths and weaknesses.

AT&T: Latest and greatest phones, mediocre network, high pricesVerizon: Latest and greatest network, generally the most reliable network, lower phone subsidies and not all the best phones, second highest pricesT-Mobile: Lowest prices, worse network than AT&T, mediocre phone choicesSprint: I'm at a loss here. One good phone(iPhone5) and a mediocre at best network for higher prices than T-Mobile...

Verizon's prices are by far the highest, not second highest, since they don't offer traditional "non-shared" plans anymore. 100 bucks a months for one user for a mere 2 GB of data. I couldn't possibly care what services they roll out. HSPA 3G is good enough and can be had for less than half the price.

Verizon's prices are by far the highest, not second highest, since they don't offer traditional "non-shared" plans anymore. 100 bucks a months for one user for a mere 2 GB of data. I couldn't possibly care what services they roll out. HSPA 3G is good enough and can be had for less than half the price.

Every single time I've ever compared my plan on VZ or AT&T it comes out either $5 or $10 more per month on AT&T. I've seen people argue both ways, and maybe in some combinations VZ is higher, but my plan has never been higher on VZ than AT&T.

As for your usage, that is the thing. You are making a choice to de-prioritize the network and prioritize the price. Good for you, and I'm glad we have competition to fullfill that need. Personally I need a network that is always working no matter where I am. And I'm willing to pay a lot more for that. Good for me too, eh?

When people try to boost one carrier over another they really ignore that it depends on what you are looking for. Each has their strengths and weaknesses.

AT&T: Latest and greatest phones, mediocre network, high pricesVerizon: Latest and greatest network, generally the most reliable network, lower phone subsidies and not all the best phones, second highest pricesT-Mobile: Lowest prices, worse network than AT&T, mediocre phone choicesSprint: I'm at a loss here. One good phone(iPhone5) and a mediocre at best network for higher prices than T-Mobile...

Sprint has unlimited everything plans at reasonable costs, plenty of phones now that the LTE network has started to roll out, and a plan to reach a nationwide LTE network with what should be a very low cost to operate platform. They also have a variety of prepaid subsidiaries that should do well to keep their network fairly well utilized without eroding their core brand.

The benefit I hope to see out of this is LTE while on the road. I got LTE coverage this summer but it does me no good the minute I am 10 miles out of town. That is when I am using it the most. (D/L podcasts, stream videos to listen to, using my Cloud Music that is hindered anyway by data caps and slow download speeds).

The benefit I hope to see out of this is LTE while on the road. I got LTE coverage this summer but it does me no good the minute I am 10 miles out of town. That is when I am using it the most. (D/L podcasts, stream videos to listen to, using my Cloud Music that is hindered anyway by data caps and slow download speeds).

There are still interstate highways where I get down to Edge on AT&T for long stretches (I-15 from Las Vegas to Utah). I'd be pretty envious if Verizon folks got LTE along that same stretch.

When people try to boost one carrier over another they really ignore that it depends on what you are looking for. Each has their strengths and weaknesses.

AT&T: Latest and greatest phones, mediocre network, high pricesVerizon: Latest and greatest network, generally the most reliable network, lower phone subsidies and not all the best phones, second highest pricesT-Mobile: Lowest prices, worse network than AT&T, mediocre phone choicesSprint: I'm at a loss here. One good phone(iPhone5) and a mediocre at best network for higher prices than T-Mobile...

Sprint has unlimited everything plans at reasonable costs, plenty of phones now that the LTE network has started to roll out, and a plan to reach a nationwide LTE network with what should be a very low cost to operate platform. They also have a variety of prepaid subsidiaries that should do well to keep their network fairly well utilized without eroding their core brand.

Last I heard Sprint's only planning to roll LTE out to towers they currently have 3g on. Outside of the cities they're largely dependent on VZW for roaming 3g data; and I don't see VZW letting anyone else on their LTE network for a while. Hopefully some of Softbank's pile of money will go toward network expansion; not just spectrum acquisition.

Florence Ion / Florence was a former Reviews Editor at Ars, with a focus on Android, gadgets, and essential gear. She received a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and lives in the Bay Area.